Explain the roles of caste panchayat

Each caste has a council of its own, known as caste council/caste panchayat. Till recently, these caste panchayats exercised tremendous power over their members. Earlier, these panchayats acted only for a limited area, where only the caste members can meet each other. Today, with the development of communication and transport, these councils are having many branches all over the country.

The main function of the caste council/panchayat is to solve cases and punish the offenders among their caste members. Some of the offences dealt by these panchayats till recently were eating and drinking with other castes and sub-castes with whom such intercourse was forbidden, adultery refusal to fulfill a promise of marriage, non-payment of debt, petty assaults, breaches of customs, etc.